The Fall of Dreams
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: What would you do to stay in your happiest dreams? Charley is offered her hearts desire by a dream, but at what price? A dream demon is stalking her, and the bros must find a way to save her! Vin/Charley!
1. Chapter 1

For Jovianokamigirl, my most persistent Vinnie/Charley shipper.

Disclaimer: Nothing. Nothing at all, peeps.

The Fall of Dreams

Chapter 1

It was one of the strongest memories she had of Vincent, and one that she couldn't help but try to forget. That day when Limburger's thugs had attacked the garage, when they'd finally been beaten back, how she and Vin had celebrated. He'd picked her up in his strong arms, his eyes beautiful like garnets as he'd spun her around in joy. His smile was honest and sweet, buzzing with excitement and happiness, and it was the most gorgeous she'd ever seen him look.

It felt like the earth had moved along with their feet; a dizzy, floating feeling that had nothing to do with spinning. They'd gradually slowed, his arms unconsciously pulling her closer as he set her feet back down on the ground. Her heart had pounded in her chest as his face came closer to hers. She could even smell his unique scent, fur, and leather and some kind of spice. She could admit that she was addicted to his scent, that always made her think of laying in a bed after long hours of lovemaking.

She had felt him start to tremble a bit, a quiet hesitance in his embrace even as he'd moved closer. She sighed in her sleep and waited for the rest of it to unravel: being thrust aside as more explosions had rocked the garage, being captured.

But none of it happened.

He kept holding her.

She tried to pull back, confused--_it didn't happen this way, I know it didn't_-- but his arms tightened around her, and one hand slid up the back of her neck to run gently, soothingly through her hair. His fur was white velvet beneath her hands. He was warm, warmer than a human, almost warmer than the sun, and she wanted to curl up against him and never move again.

_This didn't happen.... Why am I dreaming this?_

_I don't care.... _

She slid her hands around him and held on, stroking his back, feeling his trembling subside. _I don't want to wake up...._

He was murmuring something now, his voice low and hoarse. She turned her head lazily, listening.

"I love you, Charley..."

Charlene jerked awake and stared up at the iron beams of the Scoreboard's roof. _What was that?_ She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart race. _I've never dreamed like that.... I've dreamed about Vinnie, but not like that! At least I was quiet. I think I avoided waking anybody else up._

"Charley?" Vincent's voice.

_Of course. The only person who _doesn't_ sleep through me waking up is the only person I wish _would_ sleep through it. How am I going to explain this?_ She rolled over slowly. A storm had knocked out power to the garage in the dead of winter, and her frozen heater had driven the poor girl to seek shelter with her bros at the Scoreboard. They'd stayed up late watching movies, and all four of them had fallen asleep in the living room.

His red eyes almost seemed to glow as he looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Charley swallowed again. _I know he's just speaking quietly because he's trying not to wake the others, but does he have to sound like he did in my dream?_ "I'm fine. I had a really odd dream, that's all."

He frowned as he got up from his spot on the recliner. Charley mildly swore to herself as he crouched next to her, looking concerned. "If you're so fine, why are you shaking like that?"

"I'm a little cold, I guess." _Please, stop looking at me like you're actually worried...._

He snorted. "Next time, take the extra blanket when Modo offers it to you." Charley opened her mouth to snap back at him, but he was already getting the blanket from his own chari. "Here. No point in you getting sick." He dropped it on top of her.

"Thanks," she whispered. He shrugged and returned to his spot on the recliner. Charley watched him through her lashes until she was sure he was asleep again, and then blew out a breath. She reached out to push the blanket aside, but was swamped with sensory memories the moment her fingers brushed it.

_White plush draped over warm, hard muscles, the sweet scent of spice and male.... _

Charley jerked her hand back. _Now I'm never going to get back to sleep._ She rolled over, turning her back--_no need to make it worse by _looking_ at him_--and stared at the wall, prepared to lie awake until morning.

And yet, even as she tried to stay awake, a shockingly large corner of her heart yearned to return to the dream.

**&*&*&*&*&

The sun filtered down through the windows of the Scoreboard. Charley's eyelids fluttered as her consciousness seeped back like groundwater. _I guess I fell asleep again_. She pushed several stray strands of hair out of her face. _Did I really dream all that last night?_ _I dreamed...._ She flushed and shoved the covers aside, noting that her bros were already awake and out of the 'Board. They were most likely on a morning patrol. _I can't believe it. Why am I dreaming about him like that?_ She dug through her overnight pack and found her hairbrush, yanking it hard through her sleep-tangled hair, hoping the pain would clear her head. _I know what he wants, and it's not me._

_Vincent's eyes looking down at me with warmth and affection.... _

Charley's heart twisted within her. _But, oh, I wish it were._ _Stop it, girl._ She set the brush down. _He's still in love with Harley. He loved her first._

_Vinnie holding me like he loves me, like I'm not just that girl who reminds him so much of his lost girlfriend.... _

_No! I'm not going to cry! _

She pulled a fresh change of clothes out of her pack and began to pull them on with angry movements. _There's no point in this. I know he loves her. There's no point in dreaming about something I can't have._ _Is there?_ She stopped, jeans pulled halfway up. _What... what's so wrong about dreaming about Vinnie sometimes? If sometimes I dreamed that he loved me, just a little?_ She shivered as the images rushed through her mind: being held, cared for, loved....

Lied to.

"It wouldn't be fair," she said quietly to the silent room. "He's my friend. Whatever else happens, I can't use him like that. It wouldn't be right." She finished putting on her jeans and began to tidy up the living room.

"Charley?" Modo poked his head into the room. "You're finally up!"

"Morning, big guy," Charley said over her shoulder as she folded a thick comforter. "Here, help me stash this."

Modo came across the room and began to help fold the heavy covers. "It's not morning, Charley. It's afternoon," he informed her.

"It's afternoon?"

"Yeah," Modo said. "You gotta start cutting back on your hours in the garage. You're getting exhausted."

"Hey, its work hard or no hot dogs and root beer for my boys," she said with a smile. "Sorry I wasn't awake to make that pancake breakfast I promised you guys."

"Don't worry about it. But so you know, Throttle had us up at six to patrol around that new factory they're building out by the docks. Vinnie's been pouting all morning."

"That mad, huh?"

Modo shrugged. "You know how he gets."

Charley folded the last cover absently. _Guess he got over worrying about me pretty quickly. Oh well._ "I guess I'll have to apologize about breakfast."

Modo snorted, "He's just being an jerk today. Don't know what bit his tail last night, but he better straighten up or me 'n Throttle'll both sit on him."

Charley bit her lip as she stacked the covers on top of the couch. _It was nice to not be at odds with him for a little while, even if it was only a dream. So much for that._ She swung her pack onto her back, glancing around the 'Board to make sure she had everything.

Modo smiled at her, offering his arm in an old-fashioned way. "Are we ready to go, milady?" he asked.

She smiled at him and took his arm. "You sir, are far too kind." The sunlight bored into her eyes and made her yelp as she emerged from the room.

"Charley-girl!" Throttle said from down in the stadium's lawn, and he waved up to her.

"I'm really sorry to have kept you all waiting. I can't believe I slept in this late," she called down to him.

"Aw, don't worry. We'll get you back to the garage and then we'll try and get that new generator you ordered from the warehouse," he called back, riding his bike up the stairs to her side.

"So where's Vinnie?" she asked.

"He's out riding around the park, according to the tracker," Throttle said as he checked his bike's display.

"More like he's out sulking," Modo huffed. "If he gives you a hard time, Charley-girl, you let me know and I'll kick his tail."

"He must have really rubbed you the wrong way this morning," she said in some concern to the grey mouse.

"Its nothing," he muttered. "I'll work it out with him later."

"Okay, then. And hey, sorry again about sleeping so late. Its weird, I mean, I really wasn't all that tired last night," she said.

"Aw, sometimes you just sleep hard," Throttle said.

The loud roar of a motor cycle cut off their conversation, and a flying red blur streaked over the stadium walls. A familiar war cry sounded as he turned from landing on the lawn and raced up the concrete stairs. "Hey bros! You gotta come check this out! They're starting a fair in the city park and there are babes everywhere! And there's this circus show with an attraction called the Snake Lady, but she's not really a snake, just really, really flexible." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Know what I mean?"

"Vinnie! Not in front of a lady!" Modo scolded.

"Aw, she knows I'm just havin' fun! Right Charley?"

She felt her cheeks strain in an effort not to yell how much of a jerk he was being. _Why am I wasting good dream time on this chauvanistic, womanizing--"_Oh, I know. Now can we lay off it so I can get back to work?"

"Man, what's got a bee up your"--

"Vincent!!"

She shook her head as she shouldered past the three mice and walked down toward where Lil' Hoss was parked. Modo followed after a few seconds later, settling in the seat and starting the engine. He didn't ask why he was the one taking her home, and she was grateful for it.

_Why does he always have to make it so hard?_A memory of ruby-red eyes warm with something other than ego slid through her mind, and, for a moment, a warm exhaustion cradled her body. She leaned against Modo's back, her eyes falling closed.

_I know I could've loved you, but you wouldn't let me_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Now the plot thickens. What? You thought this would be a fluff fest of Vin/Charley? Sorry, but those two need a bit of a wake up call before things get better for them.

Chapter 2

A dark figure smiled from his shadowed realm as he looked down into the glass sphere in his hand. The human girl was sleeping soundly, her auburn hair fanned across her pillows. He shifted the eye of the sphere down, to the bare skin over her breastbone where her old loose t-shirt failed to cover her. There, clear as day to his yellow eyes, but invisible to all others, was the black poison of his mark. It was just a bare symbol now, but as more of his poison seeped into the girl, the larger and more intricate it would grow. Until it became a net of magical power too strong for anyone to break out of.

He grinned in anticipation. This was almost too easy, and that foolish Martian was just making it even easier.....

&^&^&^&^&^

Charley opened her eyes slowly, blinking up at the brilliant blue sky. _That's funny. I don't remember falling asleep outside._ She stretched her arms over her head, feeling her muscles protest at sleeping on the grass covered ground_...._ A white-and-silver flicker caught her eye. "Vinnie?" He was sitting next to her, frowning at thin air. A memory teased at the back of her mind, but vanished when she tried to focus on it. She shrugged it off and crawled over, peering at him. "What's wrong?"

He said nothing, turning away from her slightly with a small pout.

"Come on, talk to me." When his ears only flattened, she poked him in the side. "You know I won't go away until you talk to me."

Vincent shifted and sighed. "You ran away from me."

Charley blinked in surprise. "I did?"

"The other night," he said. "I was holding you, and then... you vanished."

She stared at him. Her spine prickled, and she sat up to face him better. "That was a dream, and I didn't tell you about it."

"Was it?" he said softly.

It felt like an electric thrill running in her veins. "I thought it was."

Vinnie turned, and his warm red eyes were like garnets in sunlight. He took her hand, absently tracing little circles on the inside of her wrist with his thumb. Charley swallowed hard at the powerful sensations that tiny move caused in her. "How can our being together be a dream?"

Her eyes fluttered half-shut. "You don't want me that way."

"How do you know?" he said, even more quietly. He trapped her other wrist and began drawing her closer.

"You don't...."

"It's real here, Charley. I'll never leave you for some other girl. We can finally be happy."

Tears welled in her eyes. _Oh, God, I want_--"I can't live in a lie, and I can't pretend you feel something you don't. It's wrong."

All the warmth in his eyes crystallized in a moment. "You don't want to be with me?"

"No, I do!" She turned her hands in his, weaving their fingers together. "You have no idea how much I want that."

Vincent leaned in close. Charley felt the sun soak into her body, and wanted to blame it for her light-headedness rather than how close his gorgeous eyes were. "Maybe me not loving you is the lie. Maybe the world where we aren't together isn't real. Maybe this is how it all gets made right. No war, no Limburger, no Harley, no pain. Just us."

The pounding of Charley's heart grew until it shook her body. _I want this. I want this. It's all I've ever wanted._

_I can't do it._ She opened her mouth to tell him so, but somewhere between the thought and the words, it twisted and came out, "How?"

He let go of one of her hands and reached up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Just say you'll stay with me." He leaned in closer, and she could feel his warm breath brush her mouth, almost taste him on her tongue. "Tell me you want to stay with me, then seal it with a kiss."

She clenched her free hand until she felt her nails break the skin. "I can't. You know I can't. I have responsibilities. I can't leave them."

Vinnie's eyes clouded and he leaped to his feet. "You'd rather go back _there_? To where we're lonely? To where I never touch you? You can't convince me you want that, Charley! I know you better than that."

"Stop it," she said miserably, huddling in on herself. "Don't make this harder."

He dropped to his knees in front of her, a nakedly pleading expression on his face. "One kiss," he whispered. "You don't even have to say the words. Just kiss me."

Charley held her hands out, warding him off. "Please...." With a mixture of near-painful relief and unbearable regret, she felt the dream begin to break up around her. Vincent faded slowly, his eyes burning into hers. "You can't fight me forever," he said softly. It was the last thing she heard as her eyes fluttered open.

She rolled onto her side, curling into a ball under the covers. Sleet drummed on the roof of the garage, almost matching her thundering heart. _It was just a dream. It wasn't real._ Lightning flashed, bathing the room in brilliant illumination for a second, before plunging it back into muted shades of gray. For a moment, she felt disoriented, remembering the warm sensation of sun in her hair. Her palm stung. She opened her hand to see dark pink crescents carved into her skin. _I did that in my sleep. No big deal._

His husky voice echoed in her mind, making her shiver and her body warm in ways it had never felt before. _'Kiss me.'_

She closed her fist instinctively.

"Hey, Sleepin' Beauty! You awake yet? We got starvin' mice down here!"

Charley lay still for a moment, listening to the rain, staring at the new moons in her palm. "Yeah. I'm coming."

"Charley-girl, what's wrong?" Throttle asked in worry as she came into the kitchen.

"Huh?"

"You look like death warmed over," Throttle said in concern. "Have you been sleeping alright?"

She shook her head, "More like sleeping too much. I've barely been able to get any work done. For the past couple of days, I've been sleeping so much, I think I'm awake for maybe 8 or 9 hours a day. I don't know what's going on."

Modo and Throttle exchanged looks as they sat down at the kitchen table. "Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I'm not sick, Modo, just--I guess I'm just tired."

"What's the matter with you guys?" Vinnie said as he came into the room from watching tv. "Hey babe, lookin' good. You got any more root beer in the fridge?"

She didn't even have the energy to zing him with a comment, just walked over to the appliance and got out the required cans. The two older mice exchanged looks. "Maybe we should keep an eye on her, just in case," Throttle said quietly to his bro. "This might be something to do with Karbunkle."


	3. Chapter 3

Here we go, have fun with the angst!

Chapter 3

Again, the dark presence laughed at all it saw in its viewer. Everything was falling into place perfectly. At this rate, he'd would have the girl's soul in a few days, and a new body to inhabit. He laughed, the sound like something dying. It was all a matter of time now. That, and as long as that white mouse kept from actually getting a clue. If he somehow managed to turn the tide of that girl's heart--but no. That won't happen.

After all, if the mouse knew how to truly win her over, surely he would have done so by now.

{dreaming}

Charley sighed as she felt Vinnie's fingers slide through her hair. Her eyes opened and she smiled up at him. He paused. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

She yawned, stretching. "No, that's okay."

"I thought you were going to sleep the whole time," he said, half-apologetic.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

He shrugged, a small self-mocking smile touching his mouth. "I thought if you were that tired, I should probably let you sleep. Besides...." His voice trailed off and he looked away.

She watched, fascinated. _Is he... blushing? _"Besides?" she prompted.

"You're pretty when you sleep. Not that you're not pretty all the time." His color deepened.

Charlene sat up and turned Vinnie's face back towards her with a gentle hand. He met her gaze almost shyly. "Hey," she said softly. "It's just me."

He shook his head. "It's different." He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, fingers lingering a bit. "I want you to be happy, Charley. All you seem to do these days is worry. "

She winced, thinking about the tension around the garage that had been building over the past week. "You shouldn't worry," she said automatically. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You were so tired tonight, and there've been shadows in your eyes for days. What's wrong, Charley?" Vincent picked her up and settled her in his lap, his tail twining around her legs. "Tell me."

"It's nothing." _Modo's constantly worried about me, Throttle thinks I might be the victim of a Limburger plot, and Vinnie.... is almost completely oblivious. _"Really." She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

"I know you better than that," he said dryly, easing his fingertips through her hair again. "At least tell me why you're so tired. I can't help you if you won't let me."

She was silent for a long moment. "I don't know, Vinnie. All I'm doing is sleeping more, but apparently that's enough to convince the guys that I'm part of Limburger scheme. I have no idea what's causing it, but I wish they would stop looking at me like I'm some kind of thing! And he"--there was no need to say who _he _was, not here--"doesn't even notice. I'm beginning to think he doesn't even care." She blinked hard, not a bit surprised at the tears that slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh Charley-girl." Vincent pulled her closer, rocking her gently. "Shhhh," he whispered. "I've got you. I'll always take care of you. I care about you, I do, I swear it."

Charlene felt the cold knot of fear she'd been hiding for the past few days dissolve in her chest and she burst into full-out sobs. She clung to his bandoleers, feeling all the fears she'd kept hidden about this Vinnie melt away. Even if she couldn't stay with him in the dream, she could take this moment. Surely no one could begrudge her that.

{end dream}

*&*&*&

Charley stared at her account books, her mind a million miles away from numbers of any kind. So maybe she'd started trying to catch little naps when she was riding on Modo's bike just so she could see her Vincent. And maybe she had been a little more irritable than necessary lately. It was just so hard to walk away from him. Her Vincent was everything she'd always known Vinnie could be: kind, gentle, sweet, even considerate. And he loved her. For the first time, Vinnie was looking at her without the ghost of Harley between them. Sometimes, when he held her, she couldn't remember why she was struggling to leave the dream world. She knew she had reasons, but looking into those warm ruby eyes made it harder and harder to remember what they were.

She groaned and gently banged her head against table as the hard red glare of the other Vinnie pierced her thoughts. _Why can't I get him out of my head? He doesn't love me._ She bit her lip, guiltily. _But he is my friend. _

_Okay, time to think about something else._ She dumped her finance books back into her roll-top desk and stood up, wincing as her neck and knees popped. _Ow. Trying to nap while riding on Lil' Hoss hurts. Maybe a nice hot bath before dinner._

She went to go up the stairs to her room when she saw Throttle working on his bike in the garage. He had dozens of parts spread out neatly, apparently stripping down the engine to clean out the road dust._ I didn't even think to help him. Man, I really am distracted lately. "_Hey Throttle?"

"Charley-girl, hey. I thought you were busy with your account books."

"I was," she said, brushing off the small lie. "But you should have come to get me, you know you don't have to do this all by yourself."

"Nah, its good for a biker to work on his bike. Helps to know your ride. So, think we can start dinner as soon as Modo and Vinnie get back?"

"Sure, what sounds good?"

As they talked, neither one noticed the presence from the back door. Vinnie watched the two talk, trying to work out in his mind what was going on. He could see from how the two acted that it was, thank the Bright Lady, just a platonic thing between them, like a brother and sister. But then--_If its not Throttle she dreams about at night, if its not Throttle that makes her wake up all blushing and happy, then who is it?_

A noise from his shifting weight on the step made the two look up, and the joyful happiness he saw in her eyes at the sight of him nearly stole his breath. "Vincent!"

"Hey, pretty girl," he said with his trade-mark smirk. He shoved the feelings of confusion, fear, happiness, and something else he didn't dare name off to the side for now. "What's for dinner?"

Later on that night, as they'd talked over dinner, all three mice had been badly startled to realize that Charley had fallen asleep at the table. She'd barely stirred when Vinnie shook her, just murmuring something that sounded like his name before going back to sleep. They'd decided to stay the night with her, in case something happened. All three were convinced that something was very wrong now.

When he'd gone to pick her up, she'd stirred just enough to clearly whisper his name. Which now led to a little problem for Vincent.

He couldn't put her down.

Vinnie knew it was stupid -- _she's just asleep, moron, what's she gonna do, wander off?_ -- but he couldn't bring himself to put her down. Even though it would've been just as easy to set her on his lap, he simply couldn't bring himself to set her down from his arms, to stop feeling her hair against his shoulder and jaw, to loosen her hands from her grasp on his bandoleers, to be unable to look down into her sleeping, smiling face as he sat with her just like when he rode with her....

_Get a grip! Besides, I don't ride with her that way anymore._It stung, still. It had been two weeks since he'd carried her on his bike. Two weeks since the morning she'd climbed onto Modo's bike to ride home. Two weeks since she'd started sleeping so heavily. Two weeks since she'd said no more than she'd absolutely needed to around him. Two weeks since she'd touched him casually, or smiled at him, or made him smile. That earlier look of happy surprise on her face had died the moment he'd opened his mouth. _Gods damn it._

Instead, she spent her waking hours drifting in a dreamy semi-trance, and her nights in a sleep so deep that there had been mornings Vinnie had been convinced she wouldn't wake up. A few times, he'd sneaked into the garage to watch her sleep and make sure she was still breathing. He glanced down at her automatically, holding his own breath until he saw her chest move slightly. Vinnie sighed in relief, but his thoughts kept going. And when she did wake up, she was flushed and distant, an odd smile hovering around her mouth. It made his chest tighten to remember when she'd smiled at him like that. Only two weeks ago, but now it felt like a lifetime.

It was odd, the way the wind through his fur was so much colder without Charley nestled against his back.

_D'you remember, Charley? The first time I saw you?_It was burned into his memory: her green eyes confused and not a little bit afraid, but quickly turning indignant. She'd laughed at his fall later on, but there had been no real meanness to it, just humor.

_I musta been really out of it to have called her Harley that one time,_ he mused, running an absent hand through her bangs. Vinnie exhaled slowly as the memory of his first love cast its shadow. _Damn it. _As had become reflex, he felt something tighten within him at the idea that Mace, that dirty rat, had stolen her away from him with so much left unsaid between them. He still felt the need to protect her, after so many years. It never occurred to him that she might not need it or want it anymore. It just... was. He cared for her, and he wanted to protect her... those weren't things someone just forgot. Granted, years had passed, but not for him; at least, not enough years. For Vincent, the wounds were healing, but sometimes the scabs cracked and bled.

Harley had wanted someone to help sheild and protect her from the ugliness of the war all around them. But Charley? Her eyes held no such pain. Rather than treating him as her shield and sword, she tried to protect him. She went right through him, her kind, calloused hands sifting through all those pieces of himself he preferred to keep locked away. And each dark memory of what he'd become in war grew lighter, less painful at her touch. As each memory grew more bearable, he felt himself being reassembled into a whole: no longer splintered into soldier, clown, or damaged pretty-boy.

_I need her._

Those three small words solidified something in Vincent. To need, rather than to be needed, to know he could depend on her, rather than be the one always depended on... it was completely foreign to him. Foreign, but seductive. Gods, he would gladly give into what she offered if not for his fucking dreams.

And Harley would come to him in his dreams. They would be reunited, at long last together again after some kind of daring rescue, but....there would never be any forgiveness in her eyes on that day. No understanding. No trace of the sweet patience or laughing perseverance that had marked the living woman. Nothing but bone-deep fury and hatred and pain that he had taken so long to come for her. Or worse, the betrayal written on her face he dared to love Charley.

A hoarse sound that wanted to be a laugh reverberated in his throat. It hurt Charley. He knew it, he wasn't a complete idiot. Even though she seemed like she didn't think about it, he knew she was hurting over his inability to let go of the past. He was truly screwed. Unable to be with one girl he loved, and too messed up to even try for the affections of the other girl.

Yep. He was very screwed.

{dreaming}

Charley felt her Vincent's warmth surrounding her as she slowly awakened from the deep dreamless sleep she'd plunged into. She yawned and stretched, burrowing against his chest, tightening her fingers on his green bandoleers. "Vinnie. I didn't mean to go to sleep." Dimly, she wondered about the fact that they were under their tree, on another gorgeous sunny afternoon. _I guess nice weather is one of the bonuses of the dream world._

He chuckled, resettling her on his lap and tucking her head against his shoulder. "Seems to me you deserved it, eh? You've been working so hard."

She tilted her head up. "You're not mad? Even though I haven't spent any time with you?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Were you doin' somethin' I should be mad at you for?"

Charlene sat bolt upright. "No!" Vincent laughed, an honest laugh, and she felt her stomach do a little flip. _God, he doesn't do that nearly enough._

"Calm down," he said, still grinning. "I'm just teasin' you."

She sighed and curled up against him again. He ran an idle hand through her hair and she pressed against it. "Staying awake for that long was almost the hardest thing I've ever had to do." _Dark ruby eyes and a low voice whispering, "Kiss me," _floated through her memory. "Almost. That fact scares me, Vin."

"But you did it," he said quietly.

She nodded, feeling another yawn break loose. "Sorry. I guess I'm still tired."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, making her eyes go wide. "You can sleep if you want. I'll be right here."

Charley lay against him for a moment, shading her eyes so she could see him better in the brilliant afternoon light. Vincent glanced down with a cocked eyebrow. "Thought you were tired."

"I...." She swallowed. "I love you. You know that, right?"

The white mouse stared at her for a moment, and then grinned. "'Course I know that." He laughed when the girl reared up to slug him, catching her by the shoulders and kissing her forehead again. "I love it when you're pissed."

"You are seriously weird," she grumbled, snuggling against his chest.

Vincent ran his fingers through her hair again. "Ask me why you like me that way later."

"Do I care?" she said sleepily.

"You'll ask me anyway," he murmured as her eyes fluttered shut. "You always do."

{end dream}


	4. Chapter 4

I hope you all like this. It seems a bit heavy for some, and you have my apologies. But it would take a good, hard kick in the pants to make Vincent get his head out of his a-- and really try to court Charley, at least, I think so.

And I might have to up the rating for this due to Vinnie's potty mouth. But what do you expect from a soldier of more than ten years? An instant censor?

Chapter 4

Vinnie glanced out the window again, more than a little antsy at the quiet. The sun was beginning to brush the horizon on the 18th hour she'd been sleeping. He began to get up to start pacing again and skidded to a halt as she stirred. _Is she...._ He peered down into her face. Her lashes fluttered and she stretched a bit. _Please, gods, let her be waking up._"Charley?" he said hesitantly, feeling his breath catch as he cupped her cheek in his hand. She nuzzled his palm and Vinnie felt his jaw drop in surprise. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and smiled up at him with all the radiance he hadn't seen in two weeks. He smiled back at her shyly. "Are... you feeling better?"

Charley's smile faded. "Better?" She looked around, realizing belatedly that she was lying in bed. _We're nowhere near our tree. It's sunset. And my Vincent wasn't worried about me._ "Oh," she breathed. She looked back up at the Vinnie standing beside her and absently murmured, "You're not him."

Vinnie felt his mouth dry and his stomach roll. Where he'd been trying to soothe the knot of worry in his stomach, there was now only a curious dark chill coiling around his heart. "I'm not... who?" His stomach dropped further as she flushed and looked away from him. _She looks guilty._

"It's not important," she said quietly, looking around. "How did I get here?"

He cleared his throat, wishing desperately she hadn't seen him for that brief moment when his defenses were down. "We carried you up after to you fell asleep at the table."

Charley nodded. "Okay." She blinked and put a hand to her head as that brief movement had made the world spin a bit. "Wow. I'm still woozy from...."

"Don't jerk around like that, okay? You're exhausted, you gotta rest." She nodded in dazed agreement. He began to pace again, trying to think of a way to tell her how worried he'd been. "You were out almost a whole day."

"A day? No wonder I'm dizzy. Wait, did you carry me up?" He wouldn't look at her. Charley groaned at the thought, as his over-sexed attitude didn't exactly lead to a lot of trust in the modesty department. "And you just had to come after me, didn't you?" She groaned again inwardly when his jaw set.

"Yeah. So?"

She stared at him. _He's never sounded that bitter before._ "That's... not funny."

The sound that tore out of Vinnie's throat might've qualified as a laugh. "I actually managed to behave, believe it or not."

"Okay, okay. You behaved yourself. What's wrong with you?"

Vinnie stopped short, glaring incredulously at the girl. "Me? You worked yourself half to fuckin' death tryin' to catch up in the garage, sleep for an entire day, assume I was groping you as you slept, and you think there's somethin' wrong with me?"

_Did he just swear? My god, he is upset_! "Sorry. I just...."

"Yeah. Well. When you're passed out cold, I got a different set of priorities."

Oh man, she didn't want to fight. Why were they always at odds, over some of the stupidest things? She put a hand over her eyes, wishing desperately that he'd stop talking and leave so she could sneak back into the dream.

"You were asleep for a whole damn day, Charley. You think I got nothin' better to do than go all pornographic when you won't wake up?"

"Well, excuse me for being tired," she snapped from behind her hand

"Fine. Whatever." He sighed. "Listen, I know you work hard, and yeah, you were up a whole day. That don't mean...." He trailed off, as the fears of two weeks surged up his throat. _You sleep all the damn time and you won't wake up, you lie still as death and you never have before...._

"That don't mean...." she mimicked sourly. "That don't mean what? That I can sleep?"

"Nothin'. Forget it."

Charley jabbed him in the chest with a nail. "No, what?"

He looked down into her snapping eyes and bit back a curse. _You clung to me. Before you woke up. You held onto me and you whispered my name._ "I said, it's nothin'."

She huffed and closed her eyes. "Okay. Fine." _I want to go back to sleep. I want my Vincent. I want to just be held for a while._

Vinnie bit back another mental curse. _Gods damn it, how can I make her understand?_

Charley clenched her teeth together. _Please, I'm so tired, I just want to sleep and see my Vincent...._ "I don't want to deal with this," she whispered.

Being shot through the heart would hurt less. _And,_ he thought with a twinge of grim humor, _I would know._ "Okay." He stepped back away from her and made to go get his communicator. She stared at him, her eyes dark and huge.

"What?"

"You don't want to deal with it." _You don't want to deal with me._ He turned away from her, tipping his head down so she couldn't read his eyes.

She stared at him, for once at a loss for words. _He turned away from me. He's never turned away from me before._ She felt something in her heart tear. _I know he's not mine, but...._

Vinnie kept his eyes fixed on the ground. _I know I'm not the brightest guy around, but I know when I'm not wanted. I don't know why she held onto me like that, or why she said my name. But it ain't me she wants._

Charley felt the tears break free and trickle down her face. _Why does this always hurt so much? I'm tired of it hurting. It doesn't hurt in the dream. I can't do this anymore. I just can't._ "I'm sorry."

Vinnie flinched inwardly as he smelled her tears. _I don't know what you want, Charley. Or who. But I know who you don't want._ "Whatever." He walked out the door.

She laid down and closed her eyes.

Charley lifted her head. She stood on a dock that stretched over Lake Michigan. Sunset painted the sky and the water red and gold. But her confusion left the moment she saw Vincent -- her Vincent -- standing at the other end, looking at her with gentle, half-shy, half-eager eyes. A wave of relief swamped her, so huge she nearly sat down. He smiled and held a hand out to her, and she ran towards him, tripping in her haste. The Martian darted forward and caught her. His arms were tight around her, and he caught the look in her aqua colored eyes.

"Are you staying?" he asked hoarsely.

Charlene nodded and tried to burrow further into his embrace. _I'm never leaving. Ever._

Vincent tilted her head up. "Then kiss me."

There was no hesitation when she pulled his head down.

*&*&*&*

Throttle responded to the call from Vinnie, and found his bro outside on the road's curb. "She okay, bro?"

"Yeah. Woke up for a bit, so I called."

Throttle frowned at the sight of his bro. His ears were completely flat against his head, and his tail was coiled around his waist. What had got him so upset? "What happened between you and Charley-girl?" he said softly.

Vinnie shrugged. "She woke up. We fought. I left to call you." _Damn it._

"Fighting with Charley doesn't usually get this reaction out of you."

"How'm I supposed to react?" _Especially when she don't want to deal with me._

Throttle sat down beside his bro. "I've never seen you this quiet."

"Maybe you just ain't around when I am."

"Possibly. At any rate, I wanted to make sure you were all right. Charley's been acting so weird lately--"

Vincent gave a bark of laughter. _No shit._

"....Not that I have to tell you, but I guess it's been hard for you."

"You got no idea, bro."

Normally, Throttle wasn't one to get into other people's love lives. Hell, anything personal was usually off limits for him. But this, something about this was seriously wrong and he couldn't put a finger on why. "You could tell me," he said quietly.

Vincent raised his eyes to Throttle's slowly. Throttle blinked; he'd never seen so much emotion in Vinnie's eyes. Or so much pain. "She don't want to 'deal with it' anymore."

"Doesn't want to... deal with it?" Throttle repeated incredulously. "Charley?"

Vinnie shrugged. "It's what she said."

"That doesn't sound like her."

"I dunno." Vinnie sighed. "Maybe she means the war. Maybe she means us bein' here." He swallowed. "Maybe she means me."

_"You?"_ Throttle said incredulously. "You think...."

Vincent growled. "I dunno what to think. She don't talk to me, she don't even fuckin' look at me anymore. She ain't ridden on my bike in fuckin' weeks! The fuck'm I supposed to think?" _She sleeps all the gods damned time, lookin' happy.... Looks at me and she's fuckin' disappointed._

"You think she no longer cares about you?" Throttle said in some shock. The concept of Charley not caring about Vinnie was about as likely as Limburger marrying a human.

Vincent shrugged. "She'll probably be glad when we go home to Mars. Anyway, it ain't my problem." _Almost convincin'. Good job._

Throttle was shaking his head slowly. "She wouldn't leave us. Or you."

He shrugged again, tilting his head forward. _You weren't there. You didn't see her._ He closed his eyes. _'You're not him.'_ His stomach knotted tighter.

the tan mouse sighed. "I should have said something to her sooner."

"Who cares?" _Maybe he's some new human guy. Or maybe she'll come back._ Throttle's frown deepened, and Vinnie huffed impatiently. "If she don't want us here, then I ain't gonna stay."

"And if she doesn't want us here," Throttle snapped back, "something's wrong."

He nearly laughed. "Right, gettin' shot at, mauled by thugs, maybe gettin' killed or carved up by Karbunkle or some other fuckin' villian in the process, is a great fuckin' time."

"None of that mattered to her before."

"Well, maybe somethin' else matters to her now." _Maybe someone else does._

Throttle studied at his bro's averted face for several moments. "Do you think she's in love with someone?"

Vinnie snorted. "Never said that."

"You didn't have to."

"So what if she is?" Vincent swallowed against the huskiness in his voice. Throttle nodded slowly, and Vinnie repressed the urge to smack the understanding look off his face. _It ain't my fuckin' business. If it ain't me she wants, I should be relieved. It's probably some human guy. Makes things simpler. Then why the hell does it hurt so fuckin' much?_

Throttle stood up slowly. "I think I'm gonna to have a talk with Charley-girl." Vinnie shrugged. The tan mouse sighed to himself and put a hand on his bro's shoulder before he began to walk towards the garage. He'd often wondered what would happen between the pair if Charley finally moved on to someone who would return her feelings. Throttle wasn't surprised that it had hurt Vinnie this bad, but was surprised that he expected her to abandon them all. _That's not the Charlene I know._ He sighed as he drew within sight of Charley's room. _Damn it. I shouldn't have let this go this long._

He knocked on the door, but got no answer. _Gah, I hope she isn't asleep again_. "Charley-girl? You up?" He went inside, frowning at the quiet. She was curled up on the blankets, her skin painfully white. _That can't be healthy_. He walked over and shook her shoulder. "Charley? Charley, wake up."

No response.

He shook harder. "Charley, wake up. I know you're tired, but c'mon!"

Not even a twitch of her eyes.

Throttle was now beyond worried. "C'mon Charley, wake up! Wake up!" Still nothing. He went to her bathroom and filled up the little cup by the sink with icy cold water. He came back in and muttered an apology before throwing the water on her face. She barely coughed, the smallest motion of her head from the wet.

But she didn't wake up.

&*&*&*&*&*&

In the demon realm, the dream-holder howled in triumph.


End file.
